My name is Melissa Malone. I’m the creator (among other things) of the web series, “Or So the Story Goes,”- an anthology series that takes classic children’s literature and adapts it with a modern, horror twist. The series began as a project to teach teens about filmmaking and has grown into a full-fledged award-winning web series.

My bi-monthly column ''Or So the Web Series Go(es)" will discuss all the things that we “work” with throughout the web series world and my experience/advice in each.

This week we take a break from the usual “working with” article theme for something I plan to do every other month. As a female series creator that has a show with an insanely large percentage of bad ass women running things, I thought it would be fun (and important) to bring to your attention some other wonderful women in web series.

WOMEN IN WEB SERIES SHOUT-OUT #1: Sally McLean

Sally McLean creates, adapts, directs and is even an ensemble member of the award-winning web series “Shakespeare Republic,” now in its second season.

The official site describes the series as ‘an exploration of the works of William Shakespeare and his fellow Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights, with the aim of rediscovering, reinvigorating and occasionally re-interpreting these universal observations in a modern setting, through the lens of current events and social issues of our time.’

Not only is it taking the world by storm (it’s winning awards all over the place, just look at their impressive list of accolades) the series is one that I love! As an English Lit major, I find I have a special place in my soul for literary web series (shocking, I know) and this one is no exception. Not only is it based on literature but it’s done in an inventive, captivating way. Each episode is a short snippet of the life of a Shakespeare character, told in a creative and entertaining way using the bard’s own words. For instance, one of my favorite episodes, (S2E5) takes the text of Katherina from “The Taming of the Shrew.” In this adaptation, we find ourselves at a press conference called by Petruchio to speak in his defense about his comments about women. His wife (Katherina) speaks on his behalf.

Screen cap from “Shakespeare Republic.”

Like this episode, the entire series is astonishingly smart and I love seeing how each character will be adapted.

In addition to her work on “Shakespeare Republic,” Sally is the General Manager for Melbourne Web Fest which boasts being the largest Web Festival in the southern hemisphere. She is also a playwright, actor, and director for numerous non-web-based projects. The lady keeps busy!

Be sure to support Sally’s work by watching the series. You won’t regret it!